


I Have a Surprise for You

by SirMuffinsworth



Series: Multiversal Snapshots of a Love Between a Spiky-Haired Boy and a Red-Haired Girl [3]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Adults, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), F/M, Fluff, It's me so you know there's a cat in there, Living Together, Marriage Proposal, Post-Graduation, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29769132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirMuffinsworth/pseuds/SirMuffinsworth
Summary: “Hajime, for the last time, we are not getting a cat until we’re married.”“I’m not going to marry you if we don’t have a cat to be the ring bearer.”“Well then I guess we’re stuck in relationship limbo for eternity.”“I will not yield, Mahiru.”“Neither will I.”
Relationships: Amami Rantaro/Chabashira Tenko (background), Hinata Hajime/Koizumi Mahiru, Koizumi Mahiru & Tanaka Gundham, Sonia Nevermind/Tanaka Gundham (Mentioned)
Series: Multiversal Snapshots of a Love Between a Spiky-Haired Boy and a Red-Haired Girl [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2176581
Comments: 9
Kudos: 30





	I Have a Surprise for You

The alarm blared for the third time, signalling that the available number of ‘snooze’ presses was up. It was time.

“What if I just… didn’t?” Hajime grumbled, rolling over and throwing his arm over the sleepy redhead beside him.

“Hajime,” Mahiru pushed his arm off of her, rueful to break the cuddle, but seeing the necessity, “You need to go to work.”

“But I’m comfy…”

“So am I. But you still need to go to work.”

Hajime sighed, sitting up and rubbing the crusted sleep from his eyes. He grumbled incoherently and pulled on a pair of pants, before heading to the bathroom to wash up.

Slowly, Mahiru settled back down onto her pillow. She was working a wedding later that day, to be the wedding photographer, but she still had a few hours worth of beauty sleep to get. Although, she was saddened somewhat by the lack of warmth around her shoulders, which normally would have been provided by a certain messy-haired boy she had recently moved in with. She tried to pull the covers up over them, but it just wasn’t the same.

“Wear the black and gold one,” she mumbled as Hajime returned to get dressed from his closet, “It looks nice on you…”

“Mahiru, it’s thirty degrees Celsius and sunny outside, and I wait tables at an outdoor grill,” Hajime chuckled, “I’m not gonna be caught dead wearing a black shirt, unless you’d like me to catch heatstroke.”

The photographer smiled. It had been years since they had graduated Hope’s Peak, with the couple being in their mid twenties now, and they had been dating for upwards of four years. Mahiru had moved in with the spiky-haired boy about six months prior, and it had easily been the best decision of her life. Financially speaking, the house that Hajime owned was already completely paid off, and pretty new, thanks to his well-to-do parents.

And speaking in every other sense, it was a great decision because she loved that boy to death.

“Alright, I’m off,” Hajime waved as he made to exit the bedroom, “Don’t sleep too long, alright?”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Mahiru raised an eyebrow.

Hajime paused, before walking back over and planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

“Dummy, I meant your wallet. It’s in your drawer still.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.”

“You can apologize by doing it again.”

Hajime chuckled and complied, leaning down again. Before his lips made contact with her forehead this time, however, she leaned up and met them with her own. Hajime had just brushed his teeth, so she could taste the sweet, minty residue on his saliva for a few moments before they parted.

“Have a good day,” she said as he walked out of the room.

“You too. And hey, give some more thought to my proposal, yeah?”

“Hajime, for the last time, we are not getting a cat until we’re married.”

“I’m not going to marry you if we don’t have a cat to be the ring bearer.”

“Well then I guess we’re stuck in relationship limbo for eternity.”

“I will not yield, Mahiru.”

“Neither will I.”

Both of them had wide smiles adorning their faces as Hajime departed the house to go to work. That exchange was not an uncommon one between them, and while it may appear like a point of contention to an outside perspective, it was just their way of having some fun. 

Mahiru sat up groggily. Originally, she had wanted to get some more time to sleep, but the bright mid-summer sun streaming through the wind-blown curtains struck her eye at just the right angle to force her awake. She wiped the sleep out of her eyes and stood up, making her way to the kitchen.

Mahiru grabbed her laptop and set it down on the counter as she plugged the blender in. Neither she nor Hajime were coffee people, because once you started relying on coffee to wake you up, your body would immediately forget how to wake up any other way. As such, with some pointers from a certain former classmate of the culinary profession, the pair had taken to fruit smoothie breakfasts. As she loaded some bananas and yogurt into the blender, she pulled up her email addresses to see if there was anything new.

Her work email had only a few unread messages, one being from the planner of the wedding she would be photographing confirming her wage, which she deemed adequate. The other emails there were the garden variety requests she usually got from rich idiots who didn’t know how cameras worked, asking her for some inane job that nobody could fulfill, ultimate title or not. She quickly dismissed these.

Thumbing over to her personal email, there was only one non-spam message, and it was from a certain dark and boisterous breeder friend of hers, with the subject headline “Regarding your inquiry after my hellbeasts”.

Mahiru rolled her eyes as she spooned a half-cup of peanut butter into the blender before turning it on. Gundham’s messages were usually a little wordy and hard to follow through the man’s ridiculous jargon, and she figured there was no way she’d be able to handle it until after she had some food in her stomach. The subject, however, very much intrigued her.

For you see, despite her playful argument with Hajime earlier that day, Mahiru fully intended upon yielding.

One peanut-butter-and-banana smoothie and 2 fried eggs later, the photographer clicked open the message, anticipation rising in her chest.

\----

Mahiru,

In an earlier message, you instructed me to alert you whenever I came upon any hellbeasts of the feline variety that I believed you may be interested in. I send this mystic message now to confirm that four such creatures are currently occupying their time at my castle, should you like to come in to view them.

I assure you they are all quite well-mannered, but that is all I shall share with you. It is important to allow a potential master or mistress to learn about their potential companions themselves. I await your arrival, I shall tell my vassals to expect you.

Gundham Tanaka  
Supreme Overlord of Ice  
Future Ruler of the Material Plane  
Ultimate Breeder

\----

Mahiru rolled her eyes. As expected, the breeder’s… endearing speech patterns seeped into every email the man sent, but she understood the intent well enough. A glance at the clock told her that she had four hours until she was on the clock for what was supposed to be a three-hour ceremony. Hajime’s shift was an eight hour one, meaning that she would be back an hour before he would.

This was shockingly perfect.

A plan started formulating in Mahiru’s mind as she closed her laptop, setting about getting dressed. Hajime would be coming home to quite the surprise later that day...

~~~~~~~~~~~

Hajime’s phone buzzed in his pocket as he stopped at an intersection. At the same time, the dashboard of his car lit up, displaying the caller ID to be “Momo Kawashima”, one of his coworkers at the bar and grill he waited at for a living. He tapped the accept call button on the screen in his dashboard.

“Hey, Momo, what’s up?” he asked, “Aren’t you on the clock right now? Why are you calling me?”

“I am on the clock,” the woman replied, “And I’m wondering why you aren’t. We’ve had the same Wednesday hours for the last three years, and I don’t hear a sick man over this phone call. You running super late or something?”

“No, not late, I just got Naito to cover my shift today. I’ve got something else going on.”

“Something else? Nobody died, did they?”

Hajime laughed, “No, nothing like that. I’ve just got a lot on my to-do list today, and I have to pretend to be working so that my girlfriend doesn’t get suspicious.”

There was silence over the line for a few moments, before Momo’s tone turned accusatory, “Suspicious? Your girlfriend? Hajime, tell me that ain’t what it sounds like. Who’s the other chick?”

Hajime’s eyes widened, “No! That’s wrong! It’s nothing like that!”

“Well then, what is it?”

“Let’s just say… one of the things on my to-do list is to pick something up from the jeweler’s.”

Another extended period of silence.

“Oh, holy shit, Hajime!” Momo’s tone upshifted dramatically, “Is today the day!?”

“Oh yeah. So if she comes in to pay me some kind of surprise visit during what would be my lunch break, cover for me, yeah?”

“Oh, don’t you worry, I’ve got that covered. Mahiru, was it? How long has it been for you two?”

“Four years, five months, and sixteen days,” Hajime recounted off the top of his head, “And we’ve been living together for half a year.”

“And as your friend, I have to ask. You’re absolutely sure she’s it for you?” Momo asked.

“More so than anything I’ve ever been sure of before.”

“Well alright then. Good luck, bud!”

“Thanks. See ya.”

Momo hung up as Hajime pulled into the parking lot of the jeweler’s. He stepped out of his car and shut the door, flipping on shades to block out the sun. Even though he knew it was impossible and unreasonable for him to have been followed, he still whipped his head around once in a search for a tell-tale bob of red hair. Finding no such sign, he stepped inside. The illustrious store was manned by a single female attendant, a young girl with white hair.

“Can I help you, sir?” the attendant asked, glancing up from polishing a display case full of necklaces, “Anything in particular you’re looking for?”

“Uh, yeah,” Hajime nodded, “I got a call saying my order was in today. Hajime Hinata?”

“I’ll have a look in the back,” the attendant nodded, “Wait here.”

With that, the girl stepped through a door and disappeared into a back room. Left alone in the storefront, Hajime found his heart beating out of his chest.

“Why am I so nervous?” he wondered, “It’s not like I’m even popping the question yet. I just really hope she likes it. I even had Ibuki coerce her favourite gemstone and ring size out of her during one of their girls-only brunches, I shouldn’t be this worried…”

“Mr. Hinata?” the attendant reemerged, “Your order is right here.”

The girl stepped forwards, a small box tucked in her hand. The box was blue velvet, and Hajime took it from her with a shaky, almost reverent hand. As he flipped it open, a wide smile broke across his face.

One delicate, rose gold ring sparkled in the artificial light that glinted off the crystal chandelier above. It was small, as Mahiru hated rings and jewelry that got in the way of doing things with her fingers, and a shining bead of pure polished emerald rested on the top, framed in small metal flower petals as though it was a bud of pollen.

“Perfect,” he whispered, his eyes, never leaving the treasure he now cradled in his palm.

“I take it you’re about to make some lucky lady very happy,” the attendant smiled at him, “Or perhaps gentleman?”

“Lady, and god I hope so,” the man joked, “This rock certainly put enough of a dent in my savings to deserve a positive reaction, at least.”

The girl smiled, waving him farewell, “Good luck!”

“Thanks. Have a good day.”

The bell jingled as Hajime departed the store, a whole new world of excitement and abject terror building in his stomach.

“Now then, what else do I have to do?” he muttered, retrieving a small handwritten note from his jeans pocket, “I’ve gotta go get some suitably fancy wine, I have that haircut appointment at noon, and then I’m killing time until five…”

The man tucked the ring box carefully into his pocket as he started up his car again. Mahiru was certainly going to be surprised when he got home that day…

~~~~~~~~~~

“Alright, Gundham,” Mahiru said, “This had better be good.”

“I assure you, these creatures will not disappoint,” the breeder chuckled, leading her through the halls of his animal shelter, “I see that you dressed for the occasion. Wise choice.”

Mahiru looked down at her getup. Because she was going to be working a wedding reception later that day, she had chosen a grey pantsuit and white top, as well as a sleek green-and-gold tie. Thinking about it, she sincerely hoped none of the animals Gundham would be introducing to her today would shed too badly, lest she have to make a pitstop back at home to attack her clothes with a lint roller.

“Does clothing… matter to them?” she asked, “The cats, I mean?”

“Do you not appreciate it when someone dresses up to impress you the first time you meet them?”

Mahiru blinked, debating as to if or not she should bring up the difference between humans and animals in that regard, but upon recalling how humanly emotive the man’s hamster generals were, she chose to keep silent. Animals were, after all, his specialty, not hers.

“This is the threshold,” Gundham stopped, pointing towards a green door at the end of the hallway, “Their enclosure is through there. I suggest you be the first through the door.”

The photographer nodded and pushed it open gently. The room was decorated with bright-colored walls, a wide blue circular carpet, cat toys all over the floor, and what could only be described as a fortress of cat towers and pet furniture. Immediately, she felt a sall pawing at her foot, which brought her vision downwards, to meet the eyes of a very fluffy golden kitten.

“Oh, my god,” she murmured as she knelt down to rub the kitten’s chin, “This one is so precious.”

“Yes,” Gundham nodded approvingly, “War is quite fond of most humans that he interacts with. It seems you are no exception.”

Mahiru blinked, “...’War’? Gundham. I seem to recall that you have four cats here, right?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Did you name them after the four horsemen?”

The breeder was silent, not meeting her gaze.

“You couldn’t resist, huh?” she asked flatly.

“No…” the breeder replied, somewhat meek.

“Alright,” she rolled her eyes and stopped scratching War, going in search of the other three kittens, presumably named for the other aspects of the apocalypse.

Gundham’s eyes widened as he noticed the same thing that she did at the same time, “Conquest! Famine! Cease this needless conflict!”

Gundham stooped down to pull a small tabby kitten off of the grey one that it had pinned to the floor. The tabby struggled a little against the breeder’s grip, but eventually slumped in submission. The grey one leapt up and scurried over to Mahiru, hiding behind her legs and gazing up at the tabby, frightened.

“Conquest and Famine, huh?” she asked, stooping low to pick up the grey kitten and stoke its ears, “Which is which?”

“Famine is the grey one,” Gundham sighed, “Conquest has always been a little… prideful. I assume Famine unknowingly played with a toy that Conquest viewed as his.”

“Well, in that case, I dunno if Conquest is exactly the one for me,” she sighed, “I deal with enough hotheaded and idiotic guys in my work anyways, I don’t need one for a pet. Sorry, little guy.”

Mahiru could swear that she saw the tabby shoot her a dirty look. 

“I must ask,” Gundham said as he set the kitten down on a platform of a nearby cat tree, “Where is Hajime? This is normally a decision that you two would arrive at together, no?”

“Yeah, but I’m surprising him,” Mahiru smiled, setting Famine down and watching her scurry away towards the litterbox on the opposite end of the room, “Hajime’s wanted a cat for a while, and I’m looking forwards to the look on his face when he comes home to one out of the blue.”

Gundham nodded slowly, “I see. Yes, I suppose Sonia’s reactions to every new beast I bring into our castle is exciting. In that case, we must choose carefully, as we are deciding not only a partner for you, but him as well.”

Mahiru nodded, “So Conquest is out, and Famine is a little timid for my tastes. War is on the table, for sure, but where’s the fourth one? Death, right?”

“I’m sure that she’s around somewhere. I would not call her timid in the same sense as Famine, but she does take time to work up the courage to meet new potential masters.”

As if on cue, a small kitten emerged from underneath a cardboard box nearby. This one was by far the smallest of the bunch, with predominantly black fur, but white splotches around her paws and nose. This kitten glanced upwards and met Mahiru’s eyes with her own green gaze.

“Ah, there she is,” Gundham smiled, “Give your greeting, Death.”

The kitten actually let out a small ‘mew’ at the breeder’s request, warming Mahiru’s heart. The photographer kneeled down and held out a hand, which the kitten approached and licked lightly. Sensing no danger, the kitten then stepped onto her hand, showing just how small she actually was, fitting perfectly in Mahiru’s single hand as she lifted the cat up to her face.

“Curious,” the breeder murmured, “She isn’t usually this forward with people…”

“I think she senses the same thing I do,” Mahiru giggled, “I’ll take her. But I’m changing the name, obviously.”

Gundham smiled, “Wonderful. What shall she be christened from now on?”

Mahiru thought for a moment, “I’ll decide that later. Is it alright if I come by to pick her up in a few hours? I’ve got a wedding to shoot today, and I’d like to take her straight home after that, to surprise Hajime.”

“Of course. I’ll arrange the suitable materials. Food, litter, playthings, and the like for you to take home with her.”

“Sounds good. How much do I owe you?”

Gundham smiled, “The knowledge that she will be given as good a home as I know yours will be is enough compensation. She was the runt of a street litter, left abandoned in an alley, you know. I’m certain she is excited at the prospect.”

Mahiru scratched the kitten on the head again, earning an affectionate lick in return, “I’m honestly pretty excited too. And I’m sure Hajime will be as well.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Hajime had to admit, his barber’s incredulous confusion at the resilience of his ahoge even after three separate gels had been somewhat entertaining, even after having to talk the burly man out of shaving his head to get rid of the damn thing. He ran a hand through his freshly-cut hair, admiring the sides and nodding approvingly.

“Yeah, looks good,” he said. The hairdo was nothing special, as he knew from years of experience that any attempt at styling beyond cutting it short would be fruitless. Still though, it was good to feel fresh.

“Glad you like it, mi amigo,” the barber replied with a thick accent. The man had a mane of messy black knots and an impressive moustache, “That’s seventeen thirty-two, not including tips.”

“Right,” Hajime nodded, retrieving his wallet, “Four buck tip alright?”

“Perfect.”

“Yo, Hajime!” A high-pitched voice sounded as the bell dinged, signalling the door being opened, “What’s up, man?”

Hajime turned to find a familiar mechanic waving at him as he approached, shark-toothed grin adorning his face.

“Hey, Kazuichi,” he waved back, “Not much, man. Cool to run into you here.”

“Yeah, I’m here pretty often,” the mechanic laughed, “This pink doesn’t maintain itself. Hey, aren’t you usually at work most Wednesdays?”

“Usually, yeah, but today’s a special case. Tell you the truth, I’m pretending to be at work while I get ready for tonight, with Mahiru.”

“Oh? Something… indecent going down with Mahiru that you wanna look your best for?”

Hajime winced as Kazuichi bobbed his eyebrows at him suggestively.

“No, nothing like that,” he shook his head, before reconsidering, “Well… I mean maybe, but that’s not really the point. You’ve been spending too much time around that Iruma girl, man.”

Kazuichi deflated somewhat, but laughed it off, “Yeah, probably. Anyways, what is going on, if not that, that Mahiru needs to be in the dark about?”

“This should answer your question,” Hajime smirked as he retrieved the small blue box out of his pocket. Kazuichi’s eyes shot wide.

“Holy mother effin’ shit, dude!” Kazuichi pulled Hajime in for a hug, “You’re popping the question tonight? That’s awesome!”

“Yeah, it is,” the man replied, “I just wish my nerves agreed.”

“Oh, you’ve got nothing to worry about, man. You two are like, the most powerful power couple I know. You’ve been together since we graduated, remember? That’s longer than any relationship I’ve ever been in, so you guys are fine.”

Hajime chose to ignore the sad undertone of his friend’s reassurance, “Well, that’s good to hear. I should probably get outta here, have fun making that mistake of a hairdo again.”

“Alright man, good lu--- HEY!”

Hajime was already out the door before Kazuichi could stop him, chuckling to himself. He hopped into his car and drove off, checking himself one more time in the mirror to confirm that he looked the part. The ring was in his pocket, the wine was in the backseat, and his hair was much more tamed than it usually was. Everything was in place. All he had left to do was wait.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Mahiru stood ready with her camera as the assembled band began playing “Here Comes the Bride”. The woman herself, a fit woman with grey-green hair that flowed in spirals, was striding down the aisle with an embarrassed smile on her face. Mahiru expertly repositioned to find the optimal lighting for her complexion, and snapped a few photos. The groom, a man with messy green hair and kind eyes, had such a dumbfounded look on his face as his bride walked towards him that she couldn’t help but snap a photo of him as well.

“This is a beautiful ceremony,” she thought as the couple began reading their vows, “For a city hall wedding, that is. When I marry Hajime, I think I’d prefer a beach wedding or something like that…”

She smiled. When. She realized that marrying that boy was barely even a question in her mind at this point. After all, they had been together for four years, and their biggest fight had been about her trying to convince Hajime to eat more than one and a half meals a day, back when they had been cramming for college exams. That had to speak for something.

She broke herself from her reverie to snap a few pictures of the newlyweds’ first kiss, dodging to the side to maintain the clear line of sight as the whole crowd stood in standing ovation. The officiator, a short half-polynesian woman with white hair, clapped the most enthusiastically as she exclaimed something about “Atowa blessing this union” or whatever. 

The ceremony lasted about another hour, during which time Mahiru took a few pictures of the newlyweds’ first dance, the cutting of the cake, et cetera, before her hired time expired.

“Miss Koizumi?” a silver-haired woman asked, flagging her down as she exited the building to return to her car.

“Yes?” she asked.

“I’m the wedding planner, we spoke at length over the phone and through email.”

“Oh, right, Miss Tojo! If you’re wondering about the photos, they’ll be in your inbox tomorrow morning. Does that work for you?”

“Of course. Tenko, the bride, just sent me to check up on them, she can be a little photogenic. Do you mind?”

Mahiru shook her head, “No, not at all. Have a look here.”

The photographer turned her camera towards Tojo and began flipping through the many photos she had taken. With her talent and skill, the approving nod that she received was hardly unexpected, but it still felt nice to receive.

“I’ll notify Tenko that she has nothing to concern over,” Tojo smiled, “For your rate, your talent is excellent. These photos catch the light and atmosphere perfectly, I am impressed.”

Mahiru blushed slightly, “Uh, thank you. I’m glad for the good feedback.”

“I must confess, I had been somewhat concerned,” the woman said, bowing her head, “You looked a touch distracted throughout much of the service, but I’m glad to see it did not affect your work.”

Mahiru flushed even more, “Oh, yeah, sorry. I was just… well, daydreaming a little, I suppose.”

“Only natural, it was a beautiful ceremony. Were you perhaps remembering your own wedding?”

“No, just imagining one I hope to have. I’ve been trying to get my boyfriend to propose for months, but no dice so far. That’s just how it goes, I guess.”

Tojo smiled, “I see. Well, I suppose I shall let you go, then. Thank you for your services, I look forward to your email.”

Mahiru nodded as the silver-haired woman departed. She got back into her car and started the engine, allowing the slight heat that had risen in her cheeks to die down.

“Well, after tonight, he’ll have no excuse,” she giggled, taking off towards the pet shelter, “Not even a joking one.”

The drive was brief, with little traffic. As she pulled up, Gundham was already waiting outside, a familiar black and white kitten in his arms.

“Hello again, Gundham,” she waved as she got out of her car, popping the trunk open, “And you, Death.”

“Ah, have you chosen to keep the name after all?” the breeder chuckled.

“Not on your life. I’m just calling her that until Hajime and I decide on a proper name. After all, is Death really a good name for something this small and adorable?”

Gundham shrugged, handing her the kitten gently. Mahiru was elated when she felt no struggle against her cradling arms, and the kitten settled into the crook of her elbow, licking her softly.

“She was quite excited when you left,” Gundham remarked, “But she’s worn herself out now. I suggest you get her home soon, so that she can become acquainted to her new castle enough to feel comfortable sleeping in it.”

Mahiru nodded, setting the already-dozing kitten down in her passenger seat. With Gundham’s assistance, she loaded a bag of cat food, a litterbox, a bag of litter, a cat bed, a bag of toys, and even a lerge scratchpost into her trunk.

“We’ll take good care of her,” she promised him.

“I don’t doubt it,” he replied, “The pair of you took care of our class throughout so much overdebauchery that I am well versed in your aptitude as parents.”

Mahiru flushed red, “W-well, if you want to put it like that… I just hope Hajime likes the surprise…”

“Well, from what I hear, he isn’t the only one who’s going to be surprised tonight.”

The photographer cocked her head at him, “What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing you need concern yourself with, just a rather amusing message I received from our pink-haired comrade. You will understand in time.”

Before Mahiru could question him any further, the breeder turned with a swoosh of his black coat, heading back towards the shelter and waving goodbye over his shoulder.

“Oh well, whatever,” she figured, settling back down into her driver’s seat, “He always talks in riddles anyways…”

Her heart swelled somewhat when the kitten beside her leapt into her lap, settling down into a napping position.

“Hey, I have to drive home…” Mahiru nudged the kitten in the side, but she didn’t move. In fact, the kitten looked up at Mahiru seemingly almost amused, before pointedly resting her head back down on the photographer’s thigh.

“Oh, fine,” the redhead caved, “Just don’t complain when I move my legs to hit the breaks. You asked for this.”

With that, she turned the key and backed out, setting the GPS on her car to lead her, as well the new addition to her and Hajime’s little family, homeward.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Babe, I’m home!” Hajime called, stepping through the front door, trying to quell the nervousness in his gut.

“Hey!” Mahiru greeted him at the door with a wave and a brief kiss, “How was your shift?”

“Oh, uh, fine. The usual,” he lied, “Nothing to note. How was the wedding?”

“Also the usual,” Mahiru smiled, “I had a nice conversation with the planner, she gave me some kind feedback.”

“Oh, really? A stranger who met your requirements for feedback? What kind of dodo was this woman?”

The photographer laughed his teasing off, “Oh, come on, I’m not that bad.”

“Sure you aren’t.”

A pregnant silence permeated the house as Hajime kicked off his shoes and unconsciously combed his hair with his fingers. He could feel his heart beating out of his chest as he looked at the girl, very aware of the weight of the blue box in his back pocket. 

“I have a surprise for you.”

Both Hajime and Mahiru blinked in surprise, realizing that they had said the exact same thing at the same time.

“Oh! Uh… you go first,” Hajime chuckled.

“N-no, you can go,” Mahiru shook her head.

“Mahiru, I can almost promise you, my surprise is gonna be bigger. You go first.”

The redhead smiled, “I’m not so sure about that. Come with me.”

Hajime followed her through to their bedroom, the door of which was closed. Mahiru paused at the door, turning back to him.

“Hey, so… remember this morning?” she asked.

“Y-yeah, I remember. What about it?”

“I, Hajime Hinata,” Mahiru smiled, turning the doorknob, “Have officially caved. You have won, enjoy this while you can.”

Hajime’s question of what she meant was silenced as she opened the door, giving way to a streak of black as a kitten zoomed out of the room, leaping up onto the couch behind them.

“Oh, my god,” Hajime breathed, unbelieving. He took a few steps towards the kitten, blinking pointedly to assure that it was not a hallucination. His fingers met soft fur, and his heart soared.

“I picked her up from Gundham today,” Mahiru walked over and began petting the kitten alongside him, “She doesn’t have a name yet. I thought we could pick one together.”

“Mahiru, have I mentioned that I love you?” Hajime laughed, eyes never leaving the perfect little fuzzball of cuteness that was not rubbing her head up against his hand affectionately.

“It’s come up once or twice,” the redhead replied with a smile, pecking him on the cheek, “So, did I beat your surprise?”

Hajime shook his head, finally tearing his gaze away from the kitten, “Actually… my surprise has something to do with this morning too.”

Mahiru cocked her head to the side, “Hajime, please tell me you didn’t get a cat behind my back, too…”

“No, no, nothing like that,” he chuckled, “I just, uh… well, Mahiru… I kinda caved, too.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, let me be very clear. You went first, which means you caved first. We got a cat before this, which means I won. This is my victory, understand?”

Mahiru’s playful reply was cut off in her throat as her eyes widened. Hajime heard her breathing halt as she hesitantly raised her hands to cover her mouth.

“N-no… way…” she stammered, her eyes following his hand as he extracted the little blue box from his pocket.

“Mahiru,” Hajime swallowed his apprehension and kneeled down, taking one of her hands in his, “This is probably a little overdue, and I apologize for that. These past few weeks have just been me working up the courage for this… I mean, not that I doubt you or anything…”

Mahiru’s eyes began to water as the kitten looked between the two of them, seemingly somewhere between amused and bemused.

“I just…” Hajime continued, “I really love you, okay? And these past four plus years with you have been… well, fantastic. I… I’d like to keep that streak going, and… I’d like to seal the deal, if that’s alright with you. So… will you marry me?”

Happy tears began streaming down the photographer’s face as she nodded, removing her remaining hand from her face to reveal a wide, joyous smile, “Oh god, yes, I’ll marry you, Hajime.”

Elation filled Hajime’s soul as he stood, wrapping his arms around her and enveloping her lips with his own. The two stayed like that for a few infinite seconds, forgetting about the world outside of that little house in which they lived, before breaking apart and staring into each other’s eyes lovingly.

“I hope you like it,” Hajime said as he slid the ring onto her outstretched finger, “I kinda had Ibuki snoop for your favourite stone and ring size, sorry.”

“It’s perfect, Hajime,” Mahiru smiled, admiring the ring as the summer afternoon light from the window danced off of it.

“Well, it had to be. I wanted it to match you.”

Mahiru laughed, “Alright, cornball, that’s enough out of you. Seriously, though, thank you. I love you, Hajime.”

“I love you too.”

Beside them, the kitten mewed in discontent, brushing her head up against Mahiru’s hand impatiently.

“Oh, yes, how could we possibly forget,” the redhead giggled, resuming the caressing of the kitten’s head.

“Yeah,” Hajime nodded, “What was her name at Gundham’s shelter? Something ridiculous and melodramatic, I assume?”

“He named her Death, Hajime. Death.”

The man rolled his eyes, “Yeah, that checks out. Did you have any ideas for a better one?”

Mahiru scrunched her brow, “No, but you’re the one who’s been wanting a cat this entire time. I’m sure you had some names in mind.”

Hajime blushed somewhat, “Ah, y-yeah. Well… how about something simple, like… Mi--”

Mahiru cut him off, “We are not naming her Mittens, Hajime, that’s way too cliche.”

“I-I wasn’t gonna say Mittens!” Hajime lied, “I was gonna say, uh… Mizuki! Yeah, Mizuki!”

Mahiru eyed him, clearly onto his lie, but she smiled, “Mizuki works for me. Better than Death, anyway.”

Hajime laughed, “That’s not a very high bar, but yeah.”

The pair were silent for a moment, each one with a hand on Mizuki’s soft fur. Hajime’s other hand went around Mahiru’s waist to entwine fingers with her own, while also pulling her close. The redhead settled into the crook of his shoulder softly, smiling.

“So we basically tied, right?” she eventually said, “Neither of us won?”

“Don’t you pretend you forgot. I already claimed my victory fair and square.”

She sighed, the smile not leaving her face, “Fine. What did you win, anyway?”

Hajime thought for a moment, “Bragging rights, and… how about I get to pick the wedding cake flavour?”

“I suppose I can live with that. I love you, Hajime.”

“Love you too, Mahiru.”

The two shared a laugh as Mizuki mewed in the same soft tone, seeming to echo their statements.

“Yeah, yeah,” Mahiru smiled, “Right back at you.”

**Author's Note:**

> My logical side: Maybe we should vary up our themes a little bit. Explore new territory with our writing. Really delve deep into new subject matter. Maybe we should explore some new characters, as well. Perhaps some angsty Sairumi in a Hanahaki AU? We've never tried writing smut before, perhaps we could dabble in a post-canon Saimaki fic with---
> 
> My passionate side: MOAR HINAZUMI FLUFF
> 
> My logical side: But---
> 
> My passionate side: Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
> 
> My logical side: ......more Hinazumi fluff?
> 
> My passionate side: More Hinazumi fluff.


End file.
